The Perfect Question
by ChaosCat
Summary: Kagome can't seem to sleep. This restlessness, of course, brings certain questions to mind. Questions about a certain hanyou we all know and love. What does she decide? Something *cute*, short, and *almost* an attempt at being thoughtful. One-Shot


Title : The Perfect Question  
  
Author : ChaosCat  
  
Rating : G  
  
Notes : Well, there really isn't much I can say about this story. It takes place somewhere after Sango's arrival. It's written from Kagome's viewpoint and there is little action, if you call anything that occurs in it action. It's mostly monologue, but there is a bit of a story in there, somewhere? This is the result of a sleepless night of my own, after watching far to many episodes of Inu-Yasha (thank you fan-subbers!). I began to wonder, what does Kagome want from this quest? What does she want from Inu-Yasha? I'm not sure if this fic accomplishs that. But this is my attempt. Reviews are appreciated. They make me think that at least someone out there is reading this, even if they don't like it!  
  
Disclaimer : Is this really necessary? We all know I didn't create the characters. I'm waaay to un-imaginative for that kind of genius. Although, I wouldn't mind owning Inu-chan, or Fluffy, or Vann Fanel, Parn, Ashram, Tamahome, Tasuki, Joe Higashi, and many other bisshies that we all seem to love so much.  
  
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The Perfect Question  
  
  
  
The campsite was quiet at this time of the night. The fire had long ago burned down, leaving only dying embers in the rock circled pit. Somewhere in the dark, an owl called out as it took wing, ever hunting for the next meal. Curled up near the smoking remains of the flame, one of the companions murmured in sleep. Rolling over, dreams overtook the restless one once more.  
  
Kagome, however, felt herself slide back into consiousness. It was unpleasant, and the fifteen year old girl wished she would just remain asleep. The warmth curled against her side was an acknowledgement of the comforting presence of Shippou. She smiled drowsily down at the child kitsune, who slept so obviously beside her, tucked into the folds of her sleeping bag. He always managed to find some way into her sleeping bag for the night, the little scamp. Not that she minded terribly, Kagome saw the child youkai as something like a younger brother, a lot like Souta (but not quite as annoying at times).  
  
She shifted slightly in the bag, mindful not to awaken the sleeping kitsune as she stretched her stiff limbs. What had awoken her? Everything was as it should be in the mind, given the fact that she was once again sleeping on the ground. In the middle of a forest. Somewhere in Fuedal Japan. Miroku and Sango slept a few feet away, each curled on the ground, similiar to herself.  
  
The youkai exterminator kept one hand on her weapon, even in sleep. Kagome supposed she was probably more fearful of a certain houshi's roving hands than of any attacking youkai. Not that Sango feared much of anything. She was one of the toughest girls Kagome had ever met. She was also one of the bravest people she knew. It was no wonder she has surivived so much. Kagome really admired her for her strength. Even after everything Naraku had put her through, Sango still remained the same sweet girl that was one of Kagome's closest friends in this time.  
  
If only Sango-chan and Miroku could get along a little more of the time. As for the Houshi in question, he was behaving himself quite well.  
  
'Well,' Kagome amended silently, 'he is asleep. If it were possible to grope females while asleep, Miroku could certainly master that art.'  
  
Still, the rather unorthodox priest was a good friend. Half of his hentai display was just habit, she was sure of that. Hopefully, he would grow out of that soon. Kagome wouldn't stand too close to him anytime soon, just to be certain.  
  
Stiffling a sigh, Kagome wiggled a bit further in her sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable without awakening the slumbering kitsune beside her. It had to be long past midnight and she knew Inu-Yasha would be reading to start the search for Shikon shards again at sunrise.  
  
'He always does,' she thought with a frown, closing her eyes again and exhaling loudly.  
  
She knew he was around. His presence was unmistakebly heavy in the air. It was a safe feeling, knowing he was around. She couldn't explain it exactly. Kagome just knew Inu-Yasha was somewhere nearby, somewhere close. She could feel him most of the time, when he was close enough, a comforting aura in the night. She knew she wouldn't see him, wherever he chose to be. But that was just as well. Just thinking about him brought such unexplainable thoughts to her mind. She just didn't know what to think. Of him. Of them.  
  
Was there a 'them'? Kagome just didn't know. That thought troubled her, as it always did. Inu-Yasha was such a mystery to her, even after all their time together. Especially after all their time spent 'shard hunting' together. He could be so kind, and yet so cruel. Kagome was not stupid. She knew he still loved Kikyo. The miko would always hold a place in the hanyou's heart. She just hoped that one day, she might hold a spot as well. Was Kagome just a mere reincarnation? Just a replacement? She shifted again, the sounds of Shippou snoring momentarily distracting her from her thoughts. It was just as well. Kagome did not need to feel herself so near tears again.  
  
'For being such a little thing,' she thought sleepily,'the kitsune sure could be loud.'  
  
Kikyo.  
  
So her thoughts returned. The miko could not leave Inu-Yasha be. The force that united them in life now held them enthralled, even fifty years after her death. To take him to thell. That was Kikyo's plan. It was most unpleasant to think about. Her mind was torn with questions. The foremost always won out. Would Inu-Yasha go?  
  
He almost had, once before, she realized sadly. When Kikyo had ensnared him. She had been an unwilling spectator to that event, held captive by Kikyo's Shinidamachuu. Kagome had almost died then, her heart breaking as she watched him tread so close to death.  
  
She had never been as afraid for him during any of the other fights he managed to get himself into. The Thunder Brothers. Kanna. Kagura. Sesshomaru. Or even Naraku. None of them had scared her as much as Kikyo had. She had believed in Inu-Yasha then. Why did she fear Kikyo? Because only Kikyo had been the one to almost make Inu-Yasha surrender. Never before had she seen him so close to just giving up.  
  
It had frightened her.  
  
'I won't let him give in,' she thought fiercely to herself. 'I will not let her take him away.'  
  
'Why do you care?' a voice in the back of her mind whispered. 'He loves her.'  
  
'Yes,' she answered, not about to loose her resolve so easily. 'He does, but I won't let him just lay down and die, not even for love. Kikyo is dead. She's been dead for fifty years. That creation that haunts him is not truely her, is it? I care about him too. I want Inu-Yasha to live.'  
  
'Oh yes,' the voice continued, unsatisfied with her answer. It switched to a new tactic. 'When the jewel is completed, then what?'  
  
The Shikon no Tama.  
  
The source of all her problems.  
  
Once, Kagome Higurashi had been a normal girl. She lived at her family's shrine in Tokyo with her mother, brother, and grandfather. She went to school with her friends. She had a rather fat cat. One day, she fell into a well. No, falling wasn't quite right. She was dragged in by a large, power-hungry youkai that resembled an insect. Now, she was in Sengoku Jidai, searching for shards of a jewel that she had accidentally shattered, with the help of an ungrateful hanyou. Not to mention her youkai problems. They never seemed to give up.  
  
It could be worse.  
  
Kagome could feel the shards as clearly as she could sense Inu-Yasha. They were just there, safely tucked away in her pocket. The shards were glittering in the darkness, she was sure of it. They always seemed illuminated with their own inner light.  
  
What would happen when the Shikon was completed? She was the guardian miko of the Shikon no Tama, or rather, the reincarnation of the miko. It amounted to the same thing. What would she do with it? Kagome knew she couldn't stay in the past forever. Her own time awaited. Her family, friends. Her life. Her life, it seemed, more and more often involved the happenings of the past.  
  
The Shikon no Tama would be completed, one way or another. Naraku would be fought and hopefully defeated. Sango's family would be avenged. Miroku's curse would be lifted. Inu-Yasha would. . .  
  
What?  
  
That was another problem. Inu-Yasha wanted the Shikon no Tama to purge himself of his heritage. Would he rid himself of his humanity and become a true youkai like his compassionless brother Sesshoumaru? Or would be choose to become a full human, as he had promised Kikyo all those years before?  
  
Kagome would forever remember the image of the enraged, demonic Inu- Yasha as he faced Sesshoumaru after the Tetsusaiga had been shattered. His eyes aflame with that crimson glow. Claws outstretched as he lunged for his half-brother. It was the closest she had ever been to being frightened of Inu-Yasha since they had become friends. If that were to happen, if he chose that in the end, would he become like his half-brother? That thought was not comforting.  
  
The image of the human Inu-Yasha came next. His annoyed look just after they had survived the spider youkai's attack. It was something she rarely saw in him, that 'weak' moment as he was fond of saying about himself. He had been completely human then. His hair darkening from that silvery sheen to a deep black. And his eyes, a vibrant violet colour, narrowed in suspicion. Inu-Yasha was always so bitter at those times.  
  
What would he choose after this was all over?  
  
Curled in her sleeping bag, she sought the image of her Inu-Yasha, The hanyou she knew. . and loved? Golden eyes always alert and wary. They were such a strange colour, Kagome had never seen anything like them. His long silky hair, silvery and definitely exotic. She could just imagine attempting to braid the massive amounts of it. It was strange, his hair was longer than hers. Then there were his ears. Those adorably fuzzy ears atop his head. They were so cute in a way that made her want to play with them for hours. Not that he would ever let her that close. She knew that it was one of the things that seemed to annoy him the most. She knew so little about him, she realized then. Apart from the larger details of his life.  
  
Did she love Inu-Yasha? The question bothered her.  
  
'No,' she told herself sternly. 'You don't.'  
  
But maybe she did. Her mind was rebellious in such mattered, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself. But why? He was never very nice to her. A thousand "sits" echoed in her mind, all following a cruel comment or equally callous behavior. He was never one to show his affections, if he even held any for her, beyond necessary baggage in order to obtain the Shikon shards. His love for Kikou was blatantly and painfully obvious.  
  
What was she to do?  
  
Once more wishing for sleep, Kagome let a soft sigh escape her lips.  
  
What did Kagome want?  
  
No one ever asked that question. She was the miko of the Shikon no Tama. What would happen at the end of this quest? What did she want of Inu-Yasha? Human? Youkai? If she had her way, how would the jewel be used on the hanyou?  
  
She would-  
  
Something stopped her, mid-thought. Someone was very near. Eyes closed and trying not to look conspicious, she waited. It was him, she was certain of it. But what on Earth was Inu-Yasha doing, prowling around her sleeping bag? She waited it. He was very near, she could just hear his low, soft breathing at her side.  
  
Puzzled, she waited. Maybe her thought she was asleep? She heard him snif the air tenatively around them. It was such a dog-like gesture she fought hard to repress the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. She was supposed to be asleep, remember? She listened to the rustle of cloth as he knelt next to her.  
  
The sleeping bag shifted slightly. It was all she could do to keep her eyes from popping open and demanding an explanation from the hanyou. Her curiousity grew. What was he doing, moving her sleeping bag? The side covering her shifted again. The edge rose up to the edge of her chin. Then she realized. Inu-Yasha, the fierce half-youkai and unanimously proclaimed grouch by the company, was tucking her in. Somehow during her long internal monologue about the inner workings of her chaotic universe, she had managed to work the top layer of the sleeping bag off without realizing. Inu-Yasha was covering her up. To say Kagome was stunned would be a grave understatement.  
  
The back of one clawed hand brushed her cheek gently, and it lingered there for just a moment longer than necessary. It wasn't unpleasant in the least, she noted with some satisfaction. That soft touch, so unlike him, sent a small tingle down her spine. She felt him move again, the rustling of the fire rat coat telling her that he had stood once again.  
  
"Feh," she heard him growl to himself as she moved away, back into the night. The tone was gruff, but Kagome could catch a a hint of the soft undercurrent he tried so hard to hide. "Stupid wench. Is she trying to catch a cold?"  
  
Kagome smiled then, feeling rather snug in her bedding. Drowsy now and far more relaxed, she allowed herself to begin to drift off.  
  
'Yes,' she thought as sleep began to overtake her once more for the night. 'I know what I would choose. I love Inu-Yasha just the way he is.'  
  
It was true, she knew in the back of her mind. Neither a human nor a youkai Inu-Yasha would be the hanyou she had grown to care about. It just wouldn't be the same.  
  
That thought comforted her somehow. As Kagome's eyelids fluttered and she drifted off, there was a smile across her delicate features, her thoughts confident that her hanyou protector would be there for her when she awoke. Even if he wouldn't be polite about it.  
  
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~fin~  
  
Well, quite honestly, I'm not sure if I finished what I set out to do. But I hope someone enjoyed it. Or hated it. As long as you review it, quite honestly, I don't mind too much. I don't think there is something to similiar to this out there. But if there is, I am apologizing for any similiarities. It was not intentional, I assure you. I'll admit that I was influenced by several fic authors, some of them not even anime related. But influences are a good thing, I would assume? Please, take three minutes out of your time and review this. Give the poor author a reason to live, eh? I'm Out! 


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